Devonte' Graham has been one of the pleasant surprises for a rebuilding Charlotte Hornets. The second-year guard is leading the team in scoring, taking the brief teachings he was able to soak in from Kemba Walker and Tony Parker — the two point guards ahead of him during his rookie season.
Graham put up only 4.7 points and 2.6 assists per game during his rookie season, but he's transformed that production to a team-leading 19.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 7.5 assists per game — good for ninth in the league in the dimes department.
The 6-foot-1 Kansas product put in the work this offseason, borrowing from the teachings of an All-NBA talent and a perennial title winner.
“People say, ‘What did he do over the summer?'” said Graham's agent Ty Sullivan, according to Jonathan Abrams of B/R Magazine. “Look, it's what he did last year. He sat there, and got his confidence up [in the G League]. He shadowed Kemba. He took all that and he put it into his own game this summer and now we're just seeing fruits of it. … Kemba and TP, he'll tell you those guys really showed him the way. … Because you see a lot of Kemba's game [in Graham's] now. That pull-up three off the dribble like that? Kemba does that. Finishing around the rim? That's a lot of Kemba. You know the floater? … That's Tony Parker.”
Devonte' Graham, who has made 114 treys at a 40.3% clip through 31 games, is one of the dark horse candidates for the Most Improved Player, as he has made the most of his opportunity to make a name for himself in the league.
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